Railroad tie



(No Model.)

C. P. Z. GARACRISTI. RAILRDAD TIE, CHAIR, AND CLAMP.

No. 416,050. Patented Nov. 26, 1889.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARL( F. Z.

CARACRISTI, OF GRANITE, ASSIGNOR OF ONEJ'IALF rlO .IULIUS E. ROCKVELL, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA.

RAILROAD II'IE, CHAIR, AND CLAMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 416,050, dated November 26, 1889.

Application filed .Tune 25, 1889. Serial No. 315,546. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARLO F. Z. CARACRISTI, a citizen of the United States, residing at Granite, in the county of Chesterfield and 5 State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad Ties,

Chairs, and Clamps; and I do hereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact de scription of the invention, such as will enable to others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Myinvention relates to an improvement in railroad ties, chairs, and clamps; and it consists in the peculiar construction and combination of' devices hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of my improved tie and clamp. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical seczo tional view of the same. Fig. 3 is atransverse sectional view of 011e of the chairs.

The ties A are made of iron7 either cast, wrought, or rolled, as may be preferred, and are Ishaped in cross-section and thereby provided with the web B, the upper flange C, and the lower flange D. Formed at the ends of the lower flange D are plates E, which constitute the bottoms of the chairs, and depending from the said plates, near the inner ends 5o thereof and arranged transversely thereon, are flanges F, which bear against the inner sides of stone blocks G, which are arranged at suitable distances apart and employed to support the chairs and ties.

Pieces of asphalt cloth H are interposed between the blocks of stone and the plates E to form cushions for the chairs. Theouter ends of the plates Il project beyond the outer sides of the blocks G and form fianges I.

A pair of concavo-convex spring-plates K have their lower edges welded or otherwise secured to the sides of each plate E, said spring-plates having their convex sides turned toward each other, as shown, and welded or otherwise secured on the upper edges of' the said pairs of spring-plates are plates L, which constitute the upper sides of the chairs. The ends of the chairs are open, so that air may pass freely through them to keep them dry and retard corrosion. The spring-plates K permit the rails to play vertically a slight distance when a Vtrain passes over them, and thereby render the track sufficiently elastic to cause the train to ride smoothly and with-v out excessive jolting and jerking motion.

Tie-braces M are arranged at the outer ends of the chairs and are parallel with the trackrails, the said tie-braces being employed to connect the ties together and prevent them from moving laterally on the stone blocks. The said tie-braces have longitudinal recesses orgrooves Nin their inner sides to receive the projecting flanges I of the plates E, and bolts O are secured in vertical aligned openings in the said tie-braces and said flanges and serve to securely fasten the tiebraces to the ends of the ties.

the tiesbraces are formed depending lianges P, which bear against the outer sides of the stone blocks and serve to assist in seating the chairs or ends of the ties firmly on the said blocks. Y

In the center of each plate L, which constitutes the top of a chair, is a vertical opening R, having a vertical groove S, which communicates with its outer side, and at a suitable distance beyond each opening R is a countersink or recess T, rectangular in form, in the bottom of which is a nut U.

I will now describe my improved clamps, which I employ to secure the rails on the ch airs.

Each of said chairs comprises a circular plate U, having a pair of arms V, eX- tending obliquely from opposite sides thereof and in opposite directions. The outer ends of said arms are curved outward in opposite directions and provided with turned-up tips or locking-flanges IV, adapted to engage the base-fianges of the track-rail X, which latter is of the usual well-known form. Extending outward from the center of each clamp is an arm Y,

having an'opening Z, adapted to register with the threaded opening in the nut U', and depending from the center of each. clamp is a pivot-stud A', adapted to fit in the openchair.

The said key or head B passes out IOO of alignment with thc said groove and under the plate L when the clamp-plate is turned I Having thus described my inventioh, l.-

claim-- 1. In a railroad, the blocks G, the metallic cross ties thereon, having the depending anges bearing against the inner sides thereof, and the tie-braces connecting the outer ends of the ties and having the depending flanges bearing against the outer sides of the blocks, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the ties having fianges at their outer end, the tie-braces having the longitudinal recesses or grooves on their inner sides lto receive said flanges, and bolts to secure said braces to the ties, substantially as described.

3. The metallic tie I-shaped in crosssse'ction and having` the broadened end extensions or plates E, the pairs of concavo-convev.\y

spring-plates K, having their loweredges Welded or Otherwise secured to the sides of plates E, and the plates L, support-ed on said spring-plates and adapted to support the rails, substantially as described.

4. The chairs having the openings R, with communicating slots or grooves S, in combination with the clamp-plates having the depending.pivot-studs to engage said openings R and heads or keys on said studs to operate in the slots or grooves S, for the purpose set forth, the said elamp-plates having the arms provided with the locking lips or flanges to engage the base-ilanges of the rails', substantially as described.

5. The combination of the chair having the opening R and communicating groove S with the clamp-plate having the pivot-stud to enter the Opening' R and the arm Y, the said stud having a head or key ont of line with the said arm, and the said clamp-plate being further provided with the oppositelyextending arms having the locking lips or flanges to engage the base-flanges of the rails, substantially as described.

f In testimony whereof I ai'iixmysignaturein presence of two witnesses.

CARL() l?. Z. CARACRISTI.

Yitnessesr J. E. RooKWELL, W. J. NEWsoM. 

